


To Hold, To Feel, To Breathe

by backinthebox



Series: By My Side [2]
Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2018-08-18 23:02:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8179097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/backinthebox/pseuds/backinthebox
Summary: They've kissed before, of course. Chloe was a Spin the Bottle expert and Truth or Dare master manipulator, and ever since she had decided Aubrey and Stacie should get together and make music with their mouths, had been taking every opportunity to make that very thing happen. So understandably, Chloe was a little upset when she learned Aubrey and Stacie had officially started dating a week ago.





	

They've kissed before, of course. Chloe was a Spin the Bottle expert and Truth or Dare master manipulator, and ever since she had decided Aubrey and Stacie should get together and make music with their mouths, had been taking every opportunity to make them lock lips. But because Chloe was a good friend, when Aubrey had confessed to an attraction to Stacie that included some emotional attachment, she had stopped making Aubrey and Stacie her kissing sock puppets.

So understandably, Chloe was a little, shall we say, _upset_ , when she learned Aubrey and Stacie had officially started dating a week ago and have not, according to Stacie, properly kissed.

Chloe rubbed her forehead in frustration. "Explain this to me."

"I can't explain it!" Stacie exclaimed. "We go out, we have a good time, she brings me home, and when I try to go for a proper kiss she ducks and covers."

"You've been dating for a week?" Chloe asked.

"Yes, Chloe, I cornered her over coffee and asked her out." Stacie reiterated. "Dinner. Movie. Art show. We're going to a concert tomorrow night, and a silent film festival this weekend. Focus: She won't kiss me."

"But you've kissed." Chloe countered.

"Barely!" Stacie emphasized. "A peck. That's nothing. That's barely a real kiss." She paused thoughtfully, and asked Chloe, "Like, do her kissing skills deteriorate after initial impact, or--?"

"What? No, she's an awesome kisser." Chloe was quick to reassure. "Those lips are made for kissing, trust me."

Maybe not so much with the reassurance.

Stacie frowned at her. "How would you know?"

Chloe shrugged, unbothered by Stacie's narrow-eyed glare. "Dares, mostly. And to annoy her. She hates it when I start making out with her."

Stacie felt ill, and she was sure she looked it.

"It's fine." Chloe waved her hand. "Obviously, we don't like each other that way. Although I wouldn't have minded doing a little more further experimenting with her, if you know what I mean."

"Stop talking." Stacie requested.

"Okay." Chloe said easily, returning her attention to her book just as Stacie correspondingly focused on her homework.

After a few minutes, Stacie turned back to Chloe. "Have you been making the Bellas play Truth or Dare just to make me and Aubrey kiss this whole time?"

Chloe laughed, a full-blown explosion of mirth and amusement that Stacie couldn't help but smile along, because Chloe's laugh was just that infectious.

And then Chloe calmed down, smiled brightly at Stacie, and replied, "Totes."

But there would be no Chloe around to dare them into kissing during their date. The concert was enjoyable, a little too vanilla pop/rock for Stacie's taste but apparently right up Aubrey's alley despite being music from the current century; after which Aubrey brought Stacie to a small, newly-opened Italian bistro between the concert venue and the Barden University campus before heading to the Bellas' house.

When they got to the house's front steps, Stacie couldn't help but inwardly roll her eyes when Aubrey stopped short of the front door, leaving a respectable distance between herself and Stacie. "So I'll pick you up on Friday?"

Stacie only looked at her, gazing at Aubrey thoughtfully for a full beat before she shook her head. "No."

Aubrey hesitated, confused. "I don't understand. I thought you wanted to go to the—"

"Oh my God stop talking."

Aubrey abruptly closed her mouth, having absolutely no idea what else she could do or say.

"This is what's about to happen," Stacie stated, covering the distance between them. She grabbed Aubrey's jacket as the other girl started to step back, preventing her from actually moving away. "We are dating. _I'm_ dating _you_. So I'm going to kiss you now, because dates end with a goodnight kiss, Aubrey. A real one, not a quick kiss that won't pass muster on prime time."

Aubrey laughed, and leaned in close, wrapping her arms around Stacie's waist and brushing their lips together. "Oh my God stop talking."

Stacie grinned back, and let herself enjoy the feeling of having Aubrey's lips on her own.

* * *

They've slept together before, of course. A lot of times. They've shared the same bed, usually as a result of what used to be their very friendly, very platonic version of Netflix and chill. Aubrey has even taken a few turns as the big spoon. Add to all that the fact that she was dating Stacie now, and what used to be a very close friendship had only increased their level of comfort and intimacy with each other.

So Aubrey had no idea why kept freezing when Stacie even _suggested_ spending the night together.

That was a lie, though. She knew why.

They were friends. Good friends. With all due respect to Chloe, Aubrey even called Stacie her best friend, and knew Stacie thought the same of her.

It didn't help that a lot of the times when Stacie suggested one of them should stay over was while Aubrey was desperately trying to keep her hands and hormones in check.

"But you sleep over all the time." Chloe noted, glancing beside her at Aubrey, who sat with her on Chloe's bed, both of them facing Stacie's empty one. She pointed at a green-colored pillow on Stacie's bed. "That pillow smells like your shampoo."

"My love for that pillow knows no bounds." Aubrey shrugged. "Have you felt how soft it is?"

"It's Stacie's pillow!"

Aubrey waved her hand dismissively.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "She calls it your pillow."

Aubrey's lips tugged into a wide smile, but she quickly schooled her features. "That was different."

"Because you weren't make out buddies back then?"

"No." Aubrey frowned.

Chloe raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, yes, but also because we were just friends then! Sleeping over while we're dating is…" Aubrey paused, trying to come up with the right word.

"Salacious? Indecorous? Prurient? Lascivious?" Chloe suggested.

"Not any of those words." Aubrey noted. "And we're not sleeping together, 'sleeping together', I don't know what the rules are."

"Yeah, what's going on there?" Chloe queried.

"Where, what?" Aubrey asked.

"You're dating the girl you want and you're not putting out?" Chloe questioned. "Are you saving yourself for the wedding? Or prom?"

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "We're taking our time."

"If you say so."

"We were friends before we started dating, Chloe." Aubrey reminded. "But we're dating now, and the rules have changed."

Chloe glanced at Aubrey. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that she's…" Aubrey exhaled. "Stacie makes me understand why lust is a cardinal sin, okay?"

"Okay…?"

"But we were great as just friends too." Aubrey continued. "Holding her, being held by her: those were great before, and they're even better now. I don't want to lose that because I equally enjoy kissing her."

"Or," Chloe suggested, "you accept you're both young adults with raging hormones and enjoy the struggle."

Aubrey pouted.

Chloe smiled as she pat Aubrey's shoulder with absolutely zero sympathy. "Don't have sex while I'm in the room."

Aubrey gave her a baleful glare. "Just for that, we just might."

In the end, whatever reservations Aubrey had about sharing Stacie's bed given the change in the nature of their relationship had nothing on the exhaustion of a week's worth of staying up late working on her homework, graduate school, and a part-time job. She had promised Stacie to come over on Friday night for pizza and a movie, but after pizza and the wild antics of the Barden Bellas on a Friday night, Aubrey was _tired_.

After checking with her group mates for a project in one of her classes, Aubrey told herself she was just going to close her eyes for a bit while she waited for Stacie to send off the Bellas who were going to check out a party happening at a fraternity house elsewhere on campus. She was vaguely aware of Stacie joining her on the bed, and then of Stacie asking her if she still wanted to watch a movie.

Judging from the fact that she felt the light chuckle Stacie let out, Aubrey was slightly aware she had curled up into Stacie's body with her face pressed against the other girl's chest. Stacie bit her lip, trying to hold back her laughter. "Comfy?"

"Very. Shut up." Aubrey grumbled.

"What about your love affair with my pillow?"

"Comfy." Aubrey mumbled into Stacie's chest.

"Can you breathe?"

"'M fine."

Stacie shrugged, and settled more comfortably on her bed.

And was almost pushed off her bed ten minutes later when Aubrey jolted awake, and abruptly sat up, wheezing.

Stacie frowned, confused, until she realized Aubrey was gasping for air, and easily discerned why. Unable to stop herself from giggling, she asked, "Are you okay?"

Aubrey glared at her, still red in the face and struggling to breathe, but she seemed to have more control over her breaths.

Stacie made a show of pushing up her breasts. "Took your breath away?"

Aubrey grabbed a pillow and tossed it directly at Stacie, making her laugh harder.

* * *

They've had sex before, of course. Individually. With other people; Not with each other.

The Bellas were unfortunately well aware when that changed.

It wasn't uncommon for Aubrey to sit in on their rehearsals, since Chloe liked having Aubrey around as her ultimate veto vote, and even before they had started dating, Aubrey and Stacie have been nearly inseparable. Unless asked to contribute, Aubrey usually sat either on the bleachers or a chair in a corner, catching up on her reading while simultaneously showing her support for the current set of Barden Bellas. Her presence also served to discipline the Bellas into following Beca or Chloe's instructions with minimal complaint, because everyone knew things could be – and once upon a time had once been – worse.

They were used to watching Stacie cajole Aubrey into things by being physically playful, distracting the older girl from her work and playing on their friendship and natural chemistry to make Aubrey play along to her whims.

So Stacie draping herself all over the blonde was nothing new.

They have all caught each other in compromising situations before, and the Bellas have all stopped being embarrassed by it a long time ago.

But they were all still understandably startled when the playful flirting between their friends suddenly careened into something else altogether when Stacie climbed on Aubrey's lap and the blonde only grinned in response before Stacie made her intentions obvious. Very obvious.

"Are you seeing this?" Beca asked Chloe, who kept her gaze fixed on the sheet music in front of her.

"I've seen more than I would ever have wanted to." Chloe answered. She finally looked up, saw all the Bellas watching the free show Aubrey and Stacie were putting on, and sighed in exasperation. She turned to the two girls at the bleachers, and let out a piercing whistle.

Stacie broke their kiss, and looked over her shoulder at her teammates. "What?"

"Break it up, or Blondie Bear gets banned from rehearsals." Chloe said as she walked up the steps to where they were sitting.

Stacie jut her lower lip out to pout at Chloe.

Chloe sighed. "Between you two, the world isn't ready for that much pouting." She pointed at Stacie. "Run through in five. Bree? Make yourself useful." She handed Aubrey a piece of paper. "Juice run."

Aubrey pouted.

Stacie glanced at Aubrey, saw the pout, and winked at Chloe before she turned back to take a playful bite on Aubrey's lower lip, tugging it gently with her teeth before she let it go and pulled back to ease off Aubrey's lap. She pressed another quick kiss on Aubrey's lip. "Get me a sandwich."

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "Would you like fries with that?"

Stacie winked at Aubrey, trailing her hand along Aubrey's hair as she passed the blonde on her way down to the rehearsal floor. "Surprise me."

Beca looked at her teammates in bewilderment. "When did that happen?"

* * *

"Hey."

Aubrey smiled when she heard Stacie's voice whisper into her ear and she felt arms wrap around her waist. She kept her gaze on the calendar of events for the theater, smiling as she felt Stacie smile into her hair. "You guys were awesome."

Stacie grinned, pressing a kiss on Aubrey's shoulder. "Of course we were."

Aubrey turned her head and kissed Stacie softly. "Are you ready to go? Did you get rid of Chloe?"

"It took some doing, but she finally agreed not to third wheel in your car; but only after I told her you haven't had it detailed since the last time we rocked the backseat and decided she'll take the van back with the girls." Stacie reported, and glanced at the board Aubrey had been looking at. "Anything look good?"

"Not really." Aubrey admitted.

Stacie waited for any further explanation, but when none was forthcoming, she whispered into Aubrey's ear, enjoying how Aubrey's eyes fluttered shut feeling Stacie's breath against her ear, "Then why are we still looking at this board?"

Aubrey opened her eyes, and turned to face Stacie. "I was just thinking."

Stacie quirked an eyebrow. "Uh oh?"

"Nothing bad, I just…" Aubrey exhaled. "I was thinking about all those dates you went on."

"The ones you set up?"

"Yeah." Aubrey nodded. She shrugged. "We never talk about it."

"Yeah, because what idiot would tell her girlfriend about the dates she went on with other people?" Stacie pointed out. "Despite the fact that those were dates were set up by said girlfriend, and therefore not cause for concern, and… okay, now I'm confused."

Aubrey laughed softly, smiling. She pointed over her shoulder at the bulletin board with her thumb. "Chloe had it in her mind that I helped those guys—"

"And Jessie." Stacie piped in.

"And Jessie; That I didn't know it yet, but it was more than just wanting you to have a good time when you went out with them." Aubrey confided.

"That's why you stopped helping Owen?" Stacie surmised.

"I had to admit some basic truths, and it didn't feel right to help him anymore."

Stacie smiled wryly. "The girls think he was just a male and douchey version of you."

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "Chloe thinks he's me if I have never gotten to bask in her glory and absorbed some of her awesomeness by living with her for four years."

Stacie laughed. "Sounds about right." She quickly sobered, her laugh fading into a soft smile. "You want to know why I decided to just cut to the chase and ask you out?"

Aubrey nodded.

"Because there comes a point that I had to question why so many of the dates I went on were perfect and all I could think of was how much better it would have been if you had been there with me instead." Stacie informed her. She rolled her eyes as she recalled that time. "And then there was Owen, who was kind of okay but I kept thinking, if he could be nicer, and be a better singer, or have prettier hair, or smell a little less like Polo. And he didn't really like the Fast and Furious franchise or argue with me about the mechanics and realism of making those kinds of major modifications to the cars, okay, and that's just unacceptable."

"I'm just saying you shouldn't mix and match parts and still expect the car to perform well." Aubrey insisted.

Stacie grinned at her. "And that's when I thought, the dates were great, and the people were kind of okay, but how much more would I have liked the dates if I were just dating you, and," she shrugged again. "I put my hope and trust in our friendship that it wouldn't have been weird if I asked you out, but you didn't think I was being weird, and you didn't say no."

Aubrey smiled at her, and confirmed, "I said yes."

"You said yes." Stacie echoed.

Aubrey chuckled softly, and gently cupped the side of Stacie's jaw and drew her in close for a soft kiss. "I love you."

They've said it before, of course. As friends who honestly wanted to communicate how much the other meant to them, or as a wry response when they were being particularly petulant towards each other. They've even said it since they started dating, but always in the same context it had always been, that they valued their friendship and each other beyond measure.

This was different.

Stacie smiled, enjoying the series of kisses and what they meant. "I love you too."


End file.
